Meerschaum pipe care
Meerschaum pipes are almost considered works of art in the world of slow smoking because of their unique beauty.
Meerschaum is a rather soft mineral that allows artisans to carve with great precision and create fascinating models that are impossible to replicate with briar.
Meerschaum pipes, however, unlike briar pipes, require some minor care to preserve their aesthetics and functionality.
Here are a few tips for keeping your meerschaum pipe in excellent condition.
How to preserve your meerschaum pipe
The first caution is to keep it from falling over!
Meerschaum is a brittle mineral and is very easy to break by falling on the floor, unlike briar.
Another caution is to be taken in the formation of the charcoal crust.
The formation of the charcoal crust should not be missed, just as with any other briar pipe, but the thickness should be slightly less, otherwise there is a risk of the pipe cracking.
Meerschaum experts also warn about high pipe temperatures. In fact, when the tobacco pipe is hot, it should never be placed on a cold surface, such as a sheet of glass, otherwise there is a risk of cracking.
Ideally, the meerschaum pipe should be placed on a pipe stand, holding it from the mouthpiece rather than the stove.
On the other hand, when the meerschum is cold, the tobacco pipe should be reinserted into the package, but only at the time it has completely dried and cooled.
How to perform culottage
For the uninitiated, meerschaum pipes have a special feature: they can undergo culottage, a special break-in that allows the color of the tobacco pipe to be affected.
With smoking, these tobacco pipes tend to yellow, but only with culottage can this new coloration be made homogeneous and nuanced.
If culottage is not done correctly, stressing the tobacco pipe, the stove will remain white and the tobacco pipe will take on a deep yellow color, creating an unattractive contrast.
In this article we will not address the topic of culottage, but simply report that it is a more consistent break-in of the pipe, which can have a longer duration and is characterized by smaller charges and longer rest times.
During this process, it would be best to avoid holding the tobacco pipe in your hand, otherwise there is a possibility of fingerprints being left behind. This phenomenon is given by the removal of beeswax (which forms the coating of the pipe) caused by hand contact.
To avoid this possibility, it is advisable to wash your hands before smoking, but ideally you should use cotton gloves or keep it for the mouthpiece.
On the other hand, when the meerschaum is cold, the tobacco pipe should be reinserted into the pack.
Here you can take a look at our wide assortment of meerschaum pipes!